Improve Pipeline Safety Standards

In 2010, our community was struck with a frightening pipeline explosion that killed eight people. I have not forgotten these constituents killed in San Bruno, and I will continue fighting for them and hundreds of other Americans that have been killed or injured in similar explosions across the country.

The explosion taught us many hard lessons about the pipelines running throughout our cities. Too often the threat of disaster is ignored by pipeline operators like PG&E and their inadequate regulators alike, and the punishments for every party involved are too light to ever change this behavior. It’s easier for them to ignore these problems, but that’s no answer for the families affected by an explosion. That’s why I’ve worked tirelessly through the legislative, committee, and regulatory processes to hold operators and regulators accountable. There are commonsense steps we can take to prevent these disasters, including implementation of inspections on older pipes, investment in safety valves, and greater liability for operators so they work harder to prevent these disasters in the first place. I will continue to fight for our community, pushing for solutions like these in every way I can.